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Adventures at the New Tate Modern

— by Alyson Walsh

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I expected not to like the New Tate Modern. The ginormous twisted ‘Switch House’ building is 10-floors high, would take a week to get round and there’s only so much modern art a person can take. But it’s fantastic, the new museum is big and beautiful, inside and out. And in a week where there has been so much terrible news, this feels like a positive, wonderful thing worth celebrating.

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Frances Morris

Frances Morris photo: the Guardian

Not realising that I’d been invited to the big official press launch, I was excited to hear the director of Tate Modern Frances Morris speak, followed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (I enjoyed Morriss’ Brush with Greatness piece on her relationship with Louise Bourgeois, in the Guardian). The collection has been completely re-hung, celebrates diversity and more than half the displays in the new Switch House are by female artists. Though when I visited it was largely empty and not yet full of art – but the brilliant Louise Bourgeois room is up and running:

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The Louise Bourgeois room. All Switch House photos courtesy of the Tate.

When it came to the official opening, giddy with excitement I rushed across to take Sadiq Khan’s photo and asked if I could please shake his hand. I like to keep it old school (no Selfies required). Emotions running high, I then gushed, ‘I am so pleased we have a proper mayor at last.’ ‘Er, thank you,’ came the polite/bemused reply. You can’t take me anywhere…

Artist Wolfgang Tillmans is a Tate Modern trustee and has been campaigning about the EU Referendum HERE; doing my bit I’ve just printed off a poster to put in the window.

Check out my Instagram feed for more pictures of the New Tate Modern. Including some from the viewing level on the 10th floor.

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I expected not to like the New Tate Modern. The ginormous twisted ‘Switch House’ building is 10-floors high, would take a week to get round and there’s only so much modern art a pers…